Negative Advertising

To attack a rival is never good adver­tis­ing. Don’t point out oth­ers’ faults. It is not per­mit­ted in the best medi­ums. It is never good pol­icy. The self­ish pur­pose is appar­ent. It looks unfair, not sporty. If you abhor knock­ers, always appear a good fellow.

Show a bright side, the happy and attrac­tive side, not the dark and uninvit­ing side of things. Show beauty, not home­li­ness; health, not sick­ness. Don’t show the wrin­kles you pro­pose to remove, but the face as it will appear. Your cus­tomers know all about wrinkles.

In adver­tis­ing a den­ti­frice, show pretty teeth, not bad teeth. Talk of com­ing good con­di­tions, not con­di­tions which exist. In adver­tis­ing clothes, pic­ture well-​​dressed peo­ple, not the shabby. Pic­ture suc­cess­ful men, not fail­ures, when you adver­tise a busi­ness course. Pic­ture what oth­ers wish to be, not what they may be now.

We are attracted by sun­shine, beauty, hap­pi­ness, health, suc­cess. Then point the way to them, not the way out of the opposite.

Pic­ture envied peo­ple, not the envious.

Tell peo­ple what to do, not what to avoid.

Make your every ad breathe good cheer. We always dodge a Lugubri­ous Blue.

Assume that peo­ple will do what you ask. Say, “Send now for this sam­ple.” Don’t say, “Why do you neglect this offer?” That sug­gests that peo­ple are neglect­ing. Invite them to fol­low the crowd.

Com­pare the results of two ads, one neg­a­tive, one pos­i­tive. One pre­sent­ing the dark side, one the bright side. One warn­ing, the other invit­ing. You will be sur­prised. You will find that the pos­i­tive ad out pulls the other four to one, if you have our experience.

The “Before and after tak­ing” ads are fol­lies of the past. They never had a place save with the afflicted. Never let their mem­ory lead you to pic­ture the gloomy side of things.

About the Author

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